University of Washington computer game helps crowdsource possible coronavirus treatment

An inner city Detroit program places 90 percent of graduates in well-paying tech jobs by teaching them how to code. It may serve as a viable path for Philadelphia citizens, as well.

Currently, women make up only 20% of computing jobs - in 2012, only 18% of computer science (CS) graduates were women , a figure that has been cut in half since 1984 when women made up 37% of CS majors. Now, girls are taught coding and computer programing in an after school program built to inspire girls to become more involved in computer science, a predominantly male job market.

Middle School 88 in Brooklyn is part of a broad evolution in teaching math, employing technology through a non-profit called School for One (Teach for One) to provide each student with a personalized lesson generated and monitored by computers to match their learning level.

Whenever there’s a natural catastrophe, a team of “crisis mappers” activate around the world. These volunteers use crowdsourcing tools to turn satellite data into digital maps, which are then used to make decisions on the ground, enabling rescuers to deliver food, shelter, and supplies to areas that need them most.

Around the world, more and more people are launching projects through mobile apps that use smartphones to collect massive amounts of data for solving chronic issues. By asking thousands of volunteers to donate their data for the greater good, researchers can access data in quantities that were previously unobtainable.

The Holberton School, a San Francisco "start-up" university with a two-year curriculum, aims to provide an affordable and estimable computer science education while removing barriers to knowledge -- age, gender, ethnicity, past professional life -- typically confronted by minority and low-income students across the nation. By "teaching the population frozen out of the internet age" Holberton demonstrates how altered admissions processes and low-cost tuition plans imbue the tech sector's workforce with a more diverse array of qualified candidates.

The rapid evolution of technology is continually opening new doors for how microfinance projects can be implemented, improved, and scaled. The team at ADDO A.I. sees artificial intelligence as the catalyst for both microfinance and microinsurance in the emerging markets of Asia. A.I. reduces the need for human assessments, facilitating faster pay-outs and reduced losses through predictive data, while combining information such as financial histories and social media activity with historic context data to create fair, realistic risk assessments that lead to improved credit products.

Beyond its common application as a predictor of consumer purchasing behavior, AI can be utilized to tackle poverty issues, improve agricultural efficiency, and increase access to information for otherwise disconnected populations. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are putting global satellite photographs into a complex algorithm to gauge economic activity.

Frustrated with poor network service and high costs, many Ghanians have had to tote multiple cheap mobile phones around to conduct business and communications normally. One entrepreneur, Kwasi Twum-Ampofo, decided to develop his own improved brand of smartphone, which is usable both domestically and abroad. Not only does Twum-Ampofo’s smartphone boast superior network access, but also—according to most Ghanians— comes at an affordable price.

In an era of mass migration and vast displacement, communities and governments around the world are struggling to cope with the influx of millions of immigrants and refugees. But different innovations in technology are making integration easier and increasing access to resources for new arrivals - from mobile banking accounts to online housing databases. Part 3 of 3.